HUB LEAKAGE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 568, 27 June 1933, Page 2

HUB LEAKAGE

Leakage from th'e wheel hubs is worth remedying, because the lubricant which escapes, besides making the car look dirty, is fatal to brake efficiency and destructive to tyres. Usually the cause is a faulty washer. A new one should he cut from a piece of felt of suitable thickness, if the correct article cannot be obtained from the agent for the car. It should be a tight fit on the axle, and of sufficient thickness to be somewhat compressed when the hub is fitted. Use of too thin an oil in the differential, too high an oil level, or th'e absence of any means for the air in the differential to escape when it expands through the heat will cause leakage. If the wheel bearings are worn, or the hubs not tightly fitted to the axle shafts, felt washers will usually be destroyed very rapidly. Leakage from the front hubs will occur if the felt washers are not in good condition. Other causes are the use of too thin a grease or too much of it. Many greases become thinner with use, eventually forming a fluid of poor lubricating quality and a tendency to leak rapidly away. It is a good plan to clean out all the old grease from th'e front wheel hubs occasionally, and to replace with fresh grease of good quality.